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Title: New here Post by SarBear86 on Sep 18th, 2006, 12:42am Hi there, I'm Sarah :) I just found this site yesterday and am glad that I did...I'm not diagnosed with cluster headaches but it's all too obvious that it's what is going on....haven't been to the doctor yet because I don't have insurance and owe the doctor's office money already but the way it's been going lately, there's no way around it. I'm 20 and the headaches started about three years ago but didn't last long and then re-appeared a few times since for a while at a time then disappeared, but recently it seems to be anywhere from every other day to three times a day. It's pretty much the worst timing possible..I just started college and am on a grant....which I can lose if I fail my classes...which happens if I miss too many classes....which is really hard NOT to miss class. Geez I'm even afraid to go to class if I'm not in pain at the moment...cause what if I get another headache ya know? When I have one there is no way I can drive. I know you guys understand what it's like.. I had one so bad the other day that I couldn't even see straight through my right eye tearing up and couldn't seem to keep the other one open...not sure why but I couldn't...and it was almost like I was hallucinating or losing it. I really don't know how to explain it but that level of pain seemed to drive me temporarily over the edge. The pain is just absolute murder. Behind my right eye, across my temple and sometimes my ear on that side ect. I don't know if there is any correlation but the first time I ever experienced one was right after I came down with both strep and mono with a dangerously high fever and was put on steroids (for some reason?) temporarily after I got out of the hospital, and I talked with another person who had a bad case of mono and talked about the headaches, also. Or maybe just coincidence. Anyway, I'm rambling but I'm so glad I found the website here. Everytime I feel a headache coming on, all I can think of is "Oh God please not again." 'Cause I am seriously about to lose my mind trying to manage my responsibilities and get through these insanely painful headaches...which I have somehow managed to do..somewhat..but I'm losing my mind...lol I know alot of you guys have it far worse than I do and get the cluster headaches alot more often....I can't even imagine how you deal with it! Hugs to you all. ~Sarah |
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Title: Re: New here Post by georgej on Sep 18th, 2006, 1:45am Hi Sarah, and welcome. Have you taken the cluster quiz on the left side of your screen? I'd encourage you to do so if you haven't already. Presuming that your responses put you firmly in the cluster camp, I'd urge you to see your doctor as soon as possible and get a definitive diagnosis. Treating something else medically as if it were cluster headache can be ineffective, sometimes dangerous. That said, there are a few things you can try at this point. Melatonin, at least 3 mg. up to 9 or 12 mg. can help you past the nighttime hits. It doesn't work for everyone, by any means, but it is a great help to some of us. You might begin taking magnesium supplements as well--many of us are deficient in magnesium. Supplements can help. I hesitate to recommend anything else at this juncture. Again, I encourage you to just bite the bullet and go back to the doctor. I know you owe him/her money already, but you can only be diagnosed by a doctor. You'll just owe them a bit more. Tell us a little more about your symptoms and how they present. Do you get hit at certain times of the day or night? Does alcohol trigger a headache? Please describe your symptoms in a bit more detail--where is the pain located? Is it always on one side, and is it always the same side? Is it throbbing, or constant and piercing? Do you experience vomiting with them? How long do they last? The more we know, the more appropriately we can direct you toward finding a solution, or at least a way to deal with them. Best regards, George By the way, your remarks are quite lavender. :) |
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Title: Re: New here Post by SarBear86 on Sep 18th, 2006, 2:38am Thanks for the reply, George. Yeah you're right I'm definetely going to be going to the doctor, there's no way around that, I can't deal with this. Yah I did take the quiz which suggested that they are cluster headaches. I really wish it was just some flukey thing that would just go awayyy and leave me alone ughhh :-/ Quote:
When one is coming, I'll know it 'cause I get the pain but just a little bit..and then before long I'm just dying. It really isn't all that predictable as to when it hits me but they'll wake me up sometimes after I fall asleep or mostly it's been in the evening right before the sun goes down, but then I've had them when I wake up in the morning too on really bad days when I've had more than a few. I don't know if alcohol triggers them..I tend to drink alot so it's kind of hard to tell...The pain is on the right side, mostly around my right eye and in the area of my right temple, pretty much that general area but especially bad around the eye and temple. Yeah it's always been on the right side, doesn't switch. It's not throbbing, and yeah I guess it could be described as peircing. I usually describe it like someone has that area of my skull in a vice and is grinding it to smitherines :-/ I don't throw up with the headaches but if it gets bad enough I do get nauseated at times. I'd say they last about two hours at most usually but to tell you the truth I pretty much lose it and five minutes may as well be five hours. My face around my eye and by my temple usually ends up bruised or like a blood vessel busted but I don't know if that's from me basically squeezing the heck out of my head or something else. How would I go about getting some of the melatonin? I've heard of it but don't know where it's sold. Again, thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it. And it's nice to meet ya :) |
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Title: Re: New here Post by georgej on Sep 18th, 2006, 3:01am Melatonin is sold as a supplement. You'll find it in the vitamins section of the supermarket, or at health food stores. It's not particularly expensive. I'd encourage you to stop drinking altogether for now, at least until the situation resolves itself this time. Alcohol is a near-universal trigger for episodic cluster headache people--not so much for chronics. It's usually only a trigger during an active cycle. I'm episodic myself (and it sounds as if you are, too) and I won't touch alcohol when I'm in a cycle--bitter experience. You may find that you can stop a certain number of the hits you experience simply by quitting the use of alcohol. The symptoms you're experiencing sound very much like cluster headache, all right, but I'm not a doctor. Again, see your doctor as soon as possible. If cluster headache is, indeed, what you're diagnosed with, then take heart--there are many different approaches you can take toward treating them. It is possible to live with CH, and to live well. I've been episodic for forty years. It won't kill you or damage you, as amazing as that sounds. Don't let "the beast" frighten you. I'll defer to others on possible medical treatments, because they will be more qualified than I am to speak to that. I don't medicate (a personal decision that I wouldn't recommend for anyone who is not convinced that that is the proper course of action for them to take) so I'm not the best person to talk about medications. In the meantime, check out all the links to your left. If you are diagnosed with cluster headache, I'd recommend that you pay particular attention to the "oxygen info" link on the left side of your screen. Oxygen is a safe and very effective abortive for many of us. Good to meet you as well. Others will be along shortly with excellent advice, I'm sure. Welcome. Best wishes, George |
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Title: Re: New here Post by nani on Sep 18th, 2006, 8:24am Hi Sarah. A doctor visit to confirm your diagnosis is definitely in order. In the meantime, buy some RedBull and keep one with you. Drink it down at the first sign of an attack. (It's got a lot of caffeine, so it may keep you awake if you use it at night, though) It's an effective abortive for many of us. That may help you get through your classes for now. Read all you can here, so you can help the doc with the diagnosis and treatment plan. Look at oxygen... a safe an effective abortive also. Take care. pain free wishes, nani |
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Title: Re: New here Post by pattik on Sep 18th, 2006, 8:39am Welcome, Sarah. Most colleges have student health services for a greatly reduced price, if not completely free. Gather and print out as much information from this site as you can to support your suspicion of CH and take it with you to the doctor. There are other headache types similar to CH, and as George said, treating incorrectly will not only waste your time and money, but it could be dangerous. All the best to you. Pat |
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Title: Re: New here Post by GeorgiaPeach on Sep 18th, 2006, 2:00pm Hey Sarah If you haven't seen a doctor but want to, the best advice I can give you is start a headache journal with your symptoms, frequency, intensity, what you were doing right before you got one, etc so they can better diagnose you. Also, like the other posts, stop drinking. They bring on CH's like no body's business! take care |
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Title: Re: New here Post by Callico_Kid on Sep 18th, 2006, 3:58pm Ditto! I would especially try the Red Bull. I has knocked som pretty bad ones down to a managable level for me in about 5-10 min. Glad you found us. Welcome to the family you didn't want! ;;D Jerry |
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